On Campus: Belief breeding success at Babson

Monday

Mar 31, 2008 at 12:01 AMMar 31, 2008 at 12:49 AM

You gotta believe! Those words were the rallying cry of the 1973 New York Mets, coined by relief pitcher Tug McGraw. Those Mets were an unlikely pennant winner. A little self-confidence unquestionably played a role in their success, just as it plays a role in the success of teams from the elite level right on down to the littlest kids still learning the most basic skills. A little self-confidence is playing an unquestionable role in the success of the Babson women's lacrosse team.

Eric Avidon/Daily News staff

You gotta believe!

Those words were the rallying cry of the 1973 New York Mets, coined by relief pitcher Tug McGraw - now more famous for being the late father of country superstar Tim McGraw but once a damn good major league closer. Those Mets were an unlikely pennant winner.

A little self-confidence unquestionably played a role in their success, just as it plays a role in the success of teams from the elite level right on down to the littlest kids still learning the most basic skills.

A little self-confidence is playing an unquestionable role in the success of the Babson women's lacrosse team.

The Beavers had no history of winning big, until last year.

In the five seasons under coach Kully Reardon the team was 10-8 twice and under .500 three times.

Then suddenly came a NEWMAC championship in the spring of 2007, and a berth in the NCAA Div. III Tournament. But the team wasn't ready for success yet - it didn't quite believe it was where it was, and so it suffered a quick exit with a second-round loss after earning a first-round bye.

"Now we know what it's like," said Reardon, in her seventh year at Babson. "We will not accept losing as an option. This year started at the end of last year. We didn't come ready to play that game. Our heads were still on the bus. Now our goal is to get back and act like we've been there before. I blame myself a bit for what happened last year.

"This year they expect to be there and do well. Nothing intimidates them."

But despite the difficult loss to end last year, the feeling of emptiness at the end, it was a season that validated the years of building that preceded it, made those other years worth it.

"Last year was great," said junior Jackie Godfrey, a Franklin High graduate who scored 43 goals for that team. "It was great because we were such a close team and we worked so hard. It meant more than just winning games. It was a full team effort. All those long days running up hills, killing ourselves in the cold, paid off."

This year, because of last year's success, there's a lot more belief. The Babson players know they're good. The coach knows she's leading good players. The results are there, and now the rest of the country knows they're good too.

The Beavers, who stand at 7-1 on the season, are the No. 7-ranked women's lacrosse team in all of Div. III, and their record includes a win over then No. 9 Trinity. They're not just beating most opponents, they're crushing them.

"I see us doing a lot more than we did last year," said sophomore Kaitlyn Pettengill, a Hopkinton native who scored 50 goals last year. "We lost three key players, but we had seven freshman come in this year, including our goalie. I see big things, just because we have more experience. We've already beaten Trinity and Bates.

"I can see us going all the way."

All the way would be a national championship.

Of course there is a loss on the ledger for Babson. After starting 6-0, the Beavers were beaten 12-8 by eighth-ranked Amherst on Thursday. Part of the reason for the loss, according to Pettengill, is that the team didn't play with the same confidence it did during the first six games.

It is, after all, a team that's still coming to grips with success, still learning to have confidence.

"We weren't as mentally prepared as we should have been," said Pettengill. "We were excited before the game, but we got down 5-1 and we haven't been in that position this year. We were playing not to lose instead of to win. We got back to within two and had better focus in the second half."

She added that the game "was a good realization. We could have beaten them, but it showed us that there's stuff we need to work on."

Babson responded to the loss with a 20-10 win over Smith on Saturday, the first NEWMAC game of the season. Next up is a trip to Wheaton tomorrow.

Sophomore Anna Collins leads the Beavers in scoring with 27 goals and six assists, followed by senior Anita Martignetti with 20 goals and nine assists. Freshman goalie Sarah Macary, allowing eight goals per game, gives Babson a line of defense it didn't have last year.

The captains are seniors Martignetti, Bethany Nardone and Brianne Carlson.

And of course there are two key players who grew up just a stone's throw from Babson - Godfrey (12 goals and 11 assists) and Pettengill (23 goals, five assists). A third local product, Weston's Ellen McCurdy, is a freshman who to date has three points.

"They're phenomenal," Reardon said of Pettengill and Godfrey. "They have the purest athletic ability - lacrosse comes very naturally to them. Both are phenomenal, two of the best players in the nation."

Beyond belief, an important strength, according to Reardon, is the team's cohesion. The togetherness of the players off the field, she says, leads to the same trait on the field, and it's with selflessness and that togetherness that the Beavers have beaten seven of the first eight opponents.

"They have fun with each other," the coach said. "They poke fun at themselves. The team is full of 22 complete characters. They have so much fun with each other. ... The reason they are so good is that they are unified off the field. They wouldn't be so good if they weren't best friends."

A little speed doesn't hurt either, and the Babson players are lightning-quick.

Going forward, league games dominate the second half of the schedule, though sprinkled in are key non-league matchups with Wesleyan and Tufts that will serve as measuring-sticks. Then will come the conference tournament, and beyond that potentially a second straight appearance in the NCAAs.

"Last year we set a standard for ourselves," said Godfrey. "We remind ourselves daily that being a good team is not something that's given, that we have to work hard every day. ... Losing the first (playoff) game last year was heartbreaking, but it taught us a lot about what we have to do."

"For the first time in seven years," said Reardon, "we really believe in ourselves."

Bringing down the Schaus

Molly Schaus, a burgeoning star with the Boston College women's hockey team, was named to the 2008 U.S. Women's National Team roster last week.

The Natick native, just a sophomore at BC, traveled to Colorado Springs, Col., last week for the tryout, and was one of just two goaltenders to make the roster.

Schaus and the national team head to Harbin, China, for the International Ice Hockey Federation's World Women's Championship, beginning on Friday.

The U.S. team opens play against Germany, then plays Switzerland on Sunday. Qualifying round games could follow in April 8 and April 10, followed by the Bronze Medal Game and Gold Medal Game on April 12.

Schaus is 34-23-9 in two years at BC, and helped the Eagles reach the Frozen Four for the first time last year. Her 2.05 career goals-against average is the best in school history.

Tip of the day

Last week a look in the e-mail inbox proved revelatory. In there was a note advising a look at the Clark University baseball team.

A quick look at the roster showed this - five players who grew up in the coverage area of the Daily News. There's Phil and Erik DiMarco of Bellingham, Cole Osburn from Nipmuc Regional, Matt Tillo from Nashoba Regional and Milford's Greg Long.

The five are enjoying varied levels of success for the Cougars, who stand at 6-9 following a loss to UMass-Boston on Tuesday and have Elms College next up tomorrow.

Among the five, Tillo is having the standout season. The junior pitcher/infielder is hitting .352 with 19 hits and 14 runs batted in, which is second on the team. He's also 2-2 with a 3.91 earned run average.

Erik DiMarco is also having a strong season win his role coming out of the bullpen. The junior is 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA.

Neither Phil DiMarco, Long or Osburn is having a tremendous season, but all have gotten playing time and made contributions.

Notables

Ryan Deane, a Hopkinton grad and a senior at Gettysburg College won the 400-meter dash at the Little 3 Championships last weekend, sprinting the quarter-mile in 50.71 seconds. ...

The Framingham State women's lacrosse team started its season in style, beating Regis College, 20-0, on Thursday. Hopkinton Kristen Giusti scored four goals and Framingham's Stephanie Corrales added three in the win. ...

Curry College goalkeeper Alex MacMillan, a Framingham grad, was named the Commonwealth Coast Conference's men's lacrosse Goaltender of the Week, stopping 71 percent of the shots he faced for the week. ...

Alex Kamergorodsky, a Babson College sophomore and Millis native, earned NEWMAC men's tennis Player of the Week honors after going 2-0 at the No. 1 singles position to help Babson win both of its matches in Puerto Rico this week. ...

Babson's Ben Edick and Walt Sea were named the NEWMAC men's doubles Players of the Week, winning won both of their matches at No. 2 doubles this week during the team's trip to Puerto Rico. ...

Anna Collins, a Babson sophomore mentioned in feature story above, earned NEWMAC women's lacross Player of the Week honors after totaling seven goals and one assist for a team-high eight points in back-to-back victories. ...

Hopkinton's Brian Doyle, a freshman at MIT, was the NEWMAC Baseball Player of the Week after going 7-for-9 (.778) at the plate with four walks in three games. ...

Bridgewater State sophomore Shannon Manning, a Framingham native, was named the New England Women's Lacrosse Alliance Player of the Week after scoring six goals and assisting on six more in a pair of BSC wins. In addition, Weston's Heather Anza was named the league's Defensive Player of the Week.

A pair of locals were named to the University Athletic Association's All-League baseball team. Junior first baseman Nick Gallagher of Southborough made the first team while Hopedale's Artie Posch was a second-teamer.

Hopkinton's Corrine Flieger, a freshman at Bentley, was named the Northeast-10 women's track Freshman of the Week.

Wellesley College's Amanda Tai was named the NEWMAC's softball Player of the Week while teammate Jenna Harvey was named Pitcher of the Week.

(Eric Avidon is a Daily News staff writer. He can be reached at eavidon@cnc.com or 508-626-3809.)

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